cry vs no cry

Every day we discuss this with our clients, the pro’s and con’s of cry vs no cry sleep training.

This is probably the most commonly asked question, after when will my baby sleep through the night! The answer is not a simple one, it is both personal as well as situational. You need to consider your own parenting style which needs to be something you feel passionate about and is right for you. There is no point committing to no cry sleep training because your coffee group mum’s say its right for them, but this philosophy is not something you feel passionate about. You won’t have the time or patience or consistency to see it through.

More importantly there is no point choosing cry it out as a sleep training method because your husband wants a quick solution but is not involved in any other way, while you are more of an attachment style parent. You won’t be consistent with the sleep training as it doesn’t suit your parenting style and it won’t feel right to you.

Once we have looked at your parenting style we need to consider your babies temperament. Some babies are so easily distracted and over stimulated by a parent in the bedroom with them; that in the room no cry sleep training wouldn’t suit them. Other babies or toddlers are stressed when their parents leave the room, this in turn stress’s the parents and these babies are better suited with more gentle in the room no cry based sleep training.

Further consideration needs to be taken around what has previously happened in babies life before sleep training. Bed sharing converting to cot sleeping is best dealt with no cry sleep training, lots of inconsistent reinforcement prior to the sleep training may mean that out of the room cry based is going to be more successful. Hospitalisation, divorce, a new sibling, illness all of these things need to be considered before choosing a sleep training method.

Finally we need to consider outside circumstances. By this I mean, does mum have 3 other children and no family support? This means she possibly doesn’t have the ability to spend an hour or more in the room with her baby during the no cry process. Mum might have a deadline such as work looming which means she needs a fast approach. Or baby might have a medical condition which means that gentle no cry is an absolute must.

All of these things need to be considered when choosing a sleep training method.

Finally a few quick pro’s and con’s.

Pro’s Con’s
Traditional cry based sleep training Usually fast

No inconsistent reinforcement

Less crying, as less time spent in the process

Doesn’t suit all babies

Could be done incorrectly and result in a lot of crying if parents inconsistent.

Your baby will cry.

No cry sleep training Feels more gentle as parents get to be more hands on.

Gives children time to adjust to changes.

Can help gently change sleep associations such as feeding and rocking and bed sharing without cry it out.

Takes generally 2-6 weeks.

 Can be inconsistent as parents often go back and forth a little bit which can be confusing.

 Doesn’t suit all temperament’s.

If you want some help with either no cry or traditional cry based sleep training, let us call you to discuss your options.

Click here to book a free sleep chat.

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